Merry Christmas!

OK, so the "Merry Christmas" wish is a little late, but we have been busy here, so the blog post just had to wait!  My parents came down for Christmas, and as a result I have lots of pictures to share (thanks, Mom)!  But first, let me start out with a little story about the photo above....

I am bad about taking the kids to see Santa.  Their dad does it every year so I figure I don't have to.  I just hate the whole ordeal of standing in line with wiggly children for forever to have their picture taken (which often costs a disgusting amount of money), and sometimes Chloe wants nothing to do with it anyway (which makes for a terrible picture).  This year I was feeling a little guilty about not doing that traditional Santa photo with the kids, but then a magical thing happened.  I had to go to HEB to buy some last-minute groceries before my parents came and the kids did not want to be there.  They were whining and complaining and I was about ready to lose my mind when we walked around the corner and a vision appeared before me.  There, in the middle of the store, was Santa.  Not a child in sight.  He was just hanging out there with a tree and a chair.  Best surprise ever!  Thanks, HEB, for turning my kids' mood around (oh, and for letting me get a Santa picture this year).

The kids were with their dad Christmas morning so the parentals and I went to see a movie (Saving Mr. Banks).  Afterwards the kids came over and it was time for PRESENTS!!

Chase was so proud he was able to buy me a gift all on his own through the school's gift shop this year.  It was a heart necklace that said "Mom" and it totally made me cry... mostly because he was so proud to give it to me.  Sweetest thing ever!

The kids made coffee mugs for their grandparents, which were a big hit:

There were lots more handmade gifts to go around, including warm blankets!

Of course we were also excited to get treats!

Chloe loves horses so she got quite a few of them this year and has been playing with them non-stop since:

Chase has really gotten into magic, so he got a bunch of magic tricks, a magic hat, and a cape that Grandma made him!  Chloe also got a "magician's assistant cape:"

I love my little magician!

Of course video games were also a hit (no surprise there!)

We did a lot while my parents were here and my kids were great helpers.  Chloe helped me in the kitchen...

...and helped Grandpa outside in the yard:

Chase also helped Grandpa bag leaves in the yard, but we didn't get a photo of that because, well... the girls went shopping while the boys worked.  Don't judge.

We spent one afternoon at Zilker Park.  We first checked out the sculpture garden, where the kids showed respect for great works of art:

We also got some nice family shots in...

...and had fun just exploring:

After the sculpture garden we went to the botanical gardens for more fun!

And check out my sassy girl here.  I have no idea where she gets it!

After our park explorations I decided the parentals needed to experience a real Texas dining treat, so we headed to a food truck park!

We had such a great time with them here.  We were busy with activities but we also found time to chill, get some house projects done (thanks, Dad!), shop (thanks, Mom!), play with the kids and just enjoy each other's company.

More photos are in our Photo Album if you're interested.

Merry Christmas!